Eight Candles to Light: A Chanukah Story

by Jonny Zucker

This charming picture book for younger children describes a typical family's celebration of the Jewish Festival of Light. After Dad reads the kids a story from Jewish history, the family sings and lights the candles. The kids spin their dreidels, and all exchange gifts. At last the family sits at the dinner table, where they eat, drink, talk, and laugh. This delightful picture book depicts a typical Jewish family as they celebrate one of the year's most important holidays. The traditional warmth of the Jewish holidays are reflected in cheerful and attractive little stories that speak not only to Jewish children but to boys and girls of all faiths. On the last two pages of each book, the traditions and meanings of the holiday are summarized for parents to relate to their children. There are attractive color illustrations on every page. (Ages 3-7)

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday

24 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prefect for a preschooler with a short attention span. It states there are 8 days but really mushes them into the last day while describing a few traditions. The explanation in the back is way too long for a pre-schooler, but might give parents a little more context.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book is a good way to introduce young students to Chanukah. The colorful yet simply rendered illustrations convey their message in a way that should be easy for children to understand. The book begins with a fictional story of a family and in a very simplistic way, gives an overview of their Chanukah holiday traditions. A tremendous benefit is that the book concludes with a 2-page spread, providing more specific (nonfictional) details about Jewish beliefs and traditions surrounding the Chanukah holiday. It would be a good source for teaching a young class about cultural experiences.